Cautious praise from FVR, Erap for PNoy's third SONA

Former president and current Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who remains under hospital detention for an electoral fraud charge, was noticeably absent but her predecessors were present and gave cautious praise for President Benigno Aquino III when he delivered his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.   Fidel V. Ramos, who succeeded Aquino’s mother Corazon to the presidency in 1992, said: “Obviously, we all have to support the President, because he’s the skipper of our one and only ship, and lahat tayo nakasakay doon.”   In an interview with reporters after the SONA, Ramos said, “Kahit ano man ang kahirapan ngayon, and marami pa ang di nabanggit, tulungan natin dahil siya ay skipper. Medyo matindi pa ang panahon, at malayo pa ang ating pupuntahan.”   Ramos did not give expound on the issues that Aquino supposedly neglected to mention in his speech, which was interrupted 119 times with applause.   Meanwhile, Joseph “Erap” Estrada complimented Aquino’s SONA as “well-crafted” and said it covered many relevant topics.   “I appreciated his pronouncements on the economy, education, health, security, and employment,” Estrada said. He added that Aquino’s pledge to pass a military modernization bill under his administration was “long overdue.”   Aquino’s one and a half hour speech was his longest SONA since he came to power in 2010, and the longest by any Philippine President since 1986, according to presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.   He touched on many of his administration’s achievements such as better health and social services, and improved infrastructure and tourism programs. – YA, GMA News